Nanomedicine-Based Therapeutics to Combat Acute Lung Injury

Abstract

Acute lung injury (ALI) or its aggravated stage acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) may lead to a life-threatening form of respiratory failure, resulting in high mortality of up to 30-40% in most studies. Although there have been decades of research since ALI was first described in 1967, the clinical therapeutic alternatives for ALI are still in a state of limited availability. Supportive treatment and mechanical ventilation still have priority. Despite some preclinical studies demonstrating the benefit of pharmacological interventions, none of these has been proved completely effective to date. Recent advances in nanotechnology may shed new light on the pharmacotherapy of ALI. Nanomedicine possesses targeting and synergistic therapeutic capability, thus boosting pharmaceutical efficacy and mitigating the side effects. Currently, a variety of nanomedicine with diverse frameworks and functional groups have been elaborately developed, in accordance with their lung targeting ability and the pathophysiology of ALI. The in-depth review of the current literature reveals that liposomes, polymers, inorganic materials, cell membranes, platelets, and other nanomedicine approaches have conferred attractive therapeutic benefits for ALI treatment. In this review, we explore the recent progress in the study of the nanomedicinebased therapy of ALI, presenting various nanomedical approaches, drug choices, therapeutic strategies, and outcomes, thereby providing insight into the trends.

Hippo signaling pathway and respiratory diseases

“…ALI is characterized by the damage of alveolar epithelial cells and pulmonary capillary endothelial caused by noncardiogenic factor and results in acute hypoxic respiratory insufficiency [ 52 , 53 ]. Severe ALI leads to life-threatening respiratory failure with high morbidity and mortality [ 54 , 55 ]. Infiltration of inflammatory cells, increased blood-air barrier permeability, pulmonary edema, and diffuse alveolar damage are often found in ALI [ 54 , 56 , 57 ].…”

Nano‐Enabled Reposition of Proton Pump Inhibitors for TLR Inhibition: Toward A New Targeted Nanotherapy for Acute Lung Injury

“…[ 37 ] A number of nanodevices in the developing pipeline, such as the peptide‐GNP hybrids, [ 38 ] polydopamine nanoparticles, luminol‐conjugated β ‐cyclodextrin nanoparticle, and porous Se@SiO2 nano‐spheres, have shown promising effectiveness in reducing inflammation and protecting the lungs from injuries in various ALI animal models. [ 39 ] Unfortunately, none of them are ready to be translated into clinical uses.…”

Inflammation‐modulating nanoparticles for pneumonia therapy

“…Other substances such as proteins, anti‐inflammatory drugs, and other functional substances can be loaded for diverse applications (Muhammad et al, 2020). Polydopamine is a self‐polymerizable biopolymer, which can act as a nano‐enzyme to scavenge H 2 O 2 or catalyze the decomposition of H 2 O 2 due to its enriched phenol groups (Bian et al, 2021). The NPs with an average size of 80 nm successfully reduce the ROS level and eliminate H 2 O 2 after a single dose in an ALI model (Zhao et al, 2018).…”